A variety of EAS systems are well-known. In a typical EAS system, EAS tags designed to interact with an electromagnetic field or “interrogation zone” located at the exits of a controlled area are attached to articles to be protected. When an article is properly purchased or otherwise authorized for removal from the protected area, the EAS tag is either removed or deactivated depending on the type of EAS tag. If the EAS tag is not removed or deactivated and moved into the interrogation zone, the electromagnetic field causes a response from the EAS tag that is detected by the EAS system. Upon detection of an activated EAS tag, the EAS system may generate an alarm. However, an EAS tag on an item either properly purchased or otherwise authorized for removal may inadvertently not be deactivated or removed, setting off a “non-theft” alarm at the store exit.
EAS alarms should therefore be investigated to determine if the alarm was a non-theft alarm or an attempted unauthorized removal of a protected article. EAS alarm events should also be recorded and tracked to enable analysis and reporting of such events. Historically, and also currently in many retail establishments, investigation and recording of EAS alarms is performed manually by retail personnel. For instance, in investigating an EAS alarm retail personnel may physically examine any sales receipt and compare the sales receipt to those items being removed. To record EAS alarm events, retail personnel may then manually enter data regarding the alarm into a handwritten log. Such a manual process of investigation and recording is time consuming for retail personnel, delays analysis and reporting of the alarm events, and is prone to errors, e.g., mistaken reconciliation of items on the receipt with items being removed, data entry errors in the handwritten log, the lack of recording of some EAS alarm events, etc.
In part to improve such manual investigation and reporting, an alarm management unit electronic device and its accompanying system may be utilized. The alarm management unit may provide a user interface, e.g., a keypad, to enable a user such as retail personnel to enter pertinent data regarding each EAS alarm event without the use of handwritten logs. The alarm management unit may then communicate such data over a communication network to local and/or regional offices of the retail store to provide authorized personnel with the ability to efficiently collect, report, and analyze such data.
Although the alarm management unit and system improves the manual EAS alarm data collection and logging process, retail personnel have still been required to investigate the EAS alarm. For instance, a barcode scanner may be coupled to the alarm management unit to assist with the alarm investigation process. However, even with the barcode scanner, retail personnel time and resources are still required to scan the receipt to gather information about the point-of-sale (POS) transaction and/or to identify each item being removed and scan the barcode label affixed to each item. Then, the retail personnel may manually reconcile the items being removed with those identified on the sale receipt. This manual alarm investigation process is time consuming and can frustrate a customer with additional delays. This manual process may also be susceptible to errors by the retail personnel. Furthermore, the last impression a customer may have of the retail establishment is being searched and delayed due to a non-theft alarm. Rather than investigate each EAS alarm, it is also possible that retail personnel may wrongfully assume an EAS alarm is a non-theft alarm and fail to investigate thus enabling unauthorized removal of articles.
Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient and reliable system for EAS alarm investigation.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewed broadly.